The New Speaker…

[kalm]

Leading the Republican Party into the 15th century…

While closely linked to Trump—an exultant Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) called him “MAGA Mike” following his election—Johnson represents something very different and, hard to believe though that may be, much more troubling.

Trump believes in nothing but Trump. The former president leads a faction in the GOP that is either essentially obstructionist—like Jim Jordan or Matt Gaetz—or cynically in search of power at any cost—like Kevin McCarthy or Elise Stefanik—or profoundly ignorant—like Marjorie Taylor Greene or Lauren Boebert or Paul Gosar or Anna Paulina Luna or…well, frankly, too many to list.

But Johnson, although he is seen as part of this group, represents something different. He deeply (and apparently, sincerely) believes in the dominionist idea that the laws of the nation should conform to Christian theology and be rooted in the ideas of the Bible.

As benign as that may sound to those who find solace or inspiration in their Christian beliefs, the desire to institutionalize those beliefs and to impose them upon even those who do not share them is pernicious. It is the way of the Taliban and the mullahs in Iran, of Israel’s hard right and theocratic dictators throughout time. It negates the idea that the citizens of a nation should be the final authority in determining the course and laws of a society. In the name of a “higher authority,” it strips away rights and puts at risk all those who disagree.

Men like Johnson and other members of that movement, a group that includes members of the U.S. Supreme Court and important leaders in the GOP like former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, represent one of the threats those who founded this country most feared. They were imperfect men. But they had learned the lessons of centuries of suffering and horror that were imposed upon the world by theocrats who claimed to be the representatives of the Almighty on earth.

Unfortunately for all of us, their wisdom and their warnings are seemingly being forgotten and all who hold beliefs inconsistent with those of a chosen evangelical Christian few are now increasingly at risk, as is the very idea of America as a free and democratic society.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/heres-why ... nald-trump

[houndawg]

Leading the Republican Party into the 15th century…

While closely linked to Trump—an exultant Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) called him “MAGA Mike” following his election—Johnson represents something very different and, hard to believe though that may be, much more troubling.

Trump believes in nothing but Trump. The former president leads a faction in the GOP that is either essentially obstructionist—like Jim Jordan or Matt Gaetz—or cynically in search of power at any cost—like Kevin McCarthy or Elise Stefanik—or profoundly ignorant—like Marjorie Taylor Greene or Lauren Boebert or Paul Gosar or Anna Paulina Luna or…well, frankly, too many to list.

But Johnson, although he is seen as part of this group, represents something different. He deeply (and apparently, sincerely) believes in the dominionist idea that the laws of the nation should conform to Christian theology and be rooted in the ideas of the Bible.

As benign as that may sound to those who find solace or inspiration in their Christian beliefs, the desire to institutionalize those beliefs and to impose them upon even those who do not share them is pernicious. It is the way of the Taliban and the mullahs in Iran, of Israel’s hard right and theocratic dictators throughout time. It negates the idea that the citizens of a nation should be the final authority in determining the course and laws of a society. In the name of a “higher authority,” it strips away rights and puts at risk all those who disagree.

Men like Johnson and other members of that movement, a group that includes members of the U.S. Supreme Court and important leaders in the GOP like former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, represent one of the threats those who founded this country most feared. They were imperfect men. But they had learned the lessons of centuries of suffering and horror that were imposed upon the world by theocrats who claimed to be the representatives of the Almighty on earth.

Unfortunately for all of us, their wisdom and their warnings are seemingly being forgotten and all who hold beliefs inconsistent with those of a chosen evangelical Christian few are now increasingly at risk, as is the very idea of America as a free and democratic society.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/heres-why ... nald-trump

A wackjob that believes we need to run our lives in accordance with a recycled Egyptian sun-god myth. Just what the nation needs.

[UNI88]

Leading the Republican Party into the 15th century…

While closely linked to Trump—an exultant Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) called him “MAGA Mike” following his election—Johnson represents something very different and, hard to believe though that may be, much more troubling.

Trump believes in nothing but Trump. The former president leads a faction in the GOP that is either essentially obstructionist—like Jim Jordan or Matt Gaetz—or cynically in search of power at any cost—like Kevin McCarthy or Elise Stefanik—or profoundly ignorant—like Marjorie Taylor Greene or Lauren Boebert or Paul Gosar or Anna Paulina Luna or…well, frankly, too many to list.

But Johnson, although he is seen as part of this group, represents something different. He deeply (and apparently, sincerely) believes in the dominionist idea that the laws of the nation should conform to Christian theology and be rooted in the ideas of the Bible.

As benign as that may sound to those who find solace or inspiration in their Christian beliefs, the desire to institutionalize those beliefs and to impose them upon even those who do not share them is pernicious. It is the way of the Taliban and the mullahs in Iran, of Israel’s hard right and theocratic dictators throughout time. It negates the idea that the citizens of a nation should be the final authority in determining the course and laws of a society. In the name of a “higher authority,” it strips away rights and puts at risk all those who disagree.

Men like Johnson and other members of that movement, a group that includes members of the U.S. Supreme Court and important leaders in the GOP like former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, represent one of the threats those who founded this country most feared. They were imperfect men. But they had learned the lessons of centuries of suffering and horror that were imposed upon the world by theocrats who claimed to be the representatives of the Almighty on earth.

Unfortunately for all of us, their wisdom and their warnings are seemingly being forgotten and all who hold beliefs inconsistent with those of a chosen evangelical Christian few are now increasingly at risk, as is the very idea of America as a free and democratic society.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/heres-why ... nald-trump

He's Mullah Mike, a leader of the minivan Taliban.

[kalm]

Solid historical bit here on the anniversary of Black Tuesday and ascendency of the Christian Nationalism we see in the new Speaker.

Black Tuesday was the beginning of the end. The market continued to drop. By November the industrial average stood at half of what it had been two months before. By 1932, manufacturing output was less than it had been in 1913; foreign trade plummeted from $10 billion to $3 billion in the three years after 1929, and agricultural prices fell by more than half. By 1932 a million people in New York City were out of work; by 1933, thirteen million people—one person of every four in the labor force—were unemployed. Unable to pay rent or mortgages, people lived in shelters made of packing boxes.

While the administration of Republican president Herbert Hoover preached that Americans could combat the Depression with thrift, morality, and individualism, voters looked carefully at the businessmen who only years before had seemed to be pillars of society and saw they had plundered ordinary Americans. The business boom of the 1920s had increased worker productivity by about 43%, but wages did not rise. Those profits, along with tax cuts and stock market dividends, meant that wealth moved upward: in 1929, 5% of the population received one third of the nation’s income……………………

By 1989, Norquist’s friend Ralph Reed turned evangelical Christians into a permanent political pressure group. The Christian Coalition rallied evangelicals behind the Republican Party, calling for the dismantling of the post–World War II government services and protections for civil rights—including abortion—they disliked.

As Republicans could reliably turn out religious voters over abortion, that evangelical base has become more and more important to the Republican Party. Now it has put one of its own in the House Speaker’s chair, just two places from the presidency. On October 25, after three weeks of being unable to unite behind a speaker after extremists tossed out Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), the Republican conference coalesced behind Representative Mike Johnson (R-LA) in part because he was obscure enough to have avoided scrutiny.

Since then, his past has been unearthed, showing interviews in which he asserted that we do not live in a democracy but in a “Biblical republic.” He told a Fox News Channel interviewer that to discover his worldview, one simply had to “go pick up a Bible off your shelf and read it. That’s my worldview.”

Johnson is staunchly against abortion rights and gay rights, including same-sex marriage, and says that immigration is “the true existential threat to the country.” In a 2016 sermon he warned that the 1960s and 1970s undermined “the foundations of religion and morality in the U.S.” and that attempts to address climate change, for example, are an attempt to destroy capitalism.

Like other adherents of Christian nationalism, Johnson appears to reject the central premise of democracy: that we have a right to be treated equally before the law. And while his wife, Kelly, noted last year on a podcast that only about 4% of Americans “still adhere to a Biblical worldview,” they appear to reject the idea we have the right to a say in our government. In 2021, Johnson was a key player in the congressional attempt to overturn the lawful results of the 2020 presidential election.

In his rejection of democracy, Johnson echoes authoritarian leaders like Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, both of whom have the loyal support of America’s far right. Such leaders claim that the multiculturalism at the heart of democracy ruins nations. The welcoming of various races and ethnicities through immigration or affirmative action undermines national purity, they say, while the equality of LGBTQ+ individuals and women undermines morality. Johnson has direct ties to these regimes: his 2018 campaign accepted money from a group of Russian nationals, and he has said he does not support additional funding for Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression.

The rejection of democracy in favor of Christian authoritarianism at the highest levels of our government is an astonishing outcome of the attempt to prevent another Great Depression by creating a government that worked for ordinary Americans rather than a few wealthy men.

But here we are.

https://open.substack.com/pub/heatherco ... paign=post

[Pwns]

Put some of the blame on Democrats. They could've got some concessions from McCarthy in exchange for protecting him from being removed but chose not to do so and they chose not to because they believe this guy being speaker will help Biden the Somnolent in the election.

[kalm]

Put some of the blame on Democrats. They could've got some concessions from McCarthy in exchange for protecting him from being removed but chose not to do so and they chose not to because they believe this guy being speaker will help Biden the Somnolent in the election.

You’re giving the Dems a lot strategy credit here. But maybe. He certainly won’t help the GOP on nationwide svelte.

[UNI88]

Put some of the blame on Democrats. They could've got some concessions from McCarthy in exchange for protecting him from being removed but chose not to do so and they chose not to because they believe this guy being speaker will help Biden the Somnolent in the election.

You’re giving the Dems a lot strategy credit here. But maybe. He certainly won’t help the GOP on nationwide svelte.

A middle school student would have understood that it was extremely likely that GOP dysfunction would have been on full display during a race for Speaker.

[houndawg]

Put some of the blame on Democrats. They could've got some concessions from McCarthy in exchange for protecting him from being removed but chose not to do so and they chose not to because they believe this guy being speaker will help Biden the Somnolent in the election.

These dominionist types tend to come in with guns blazing and proceed to look like clowns as they try to force their recycled Egyptian sun-god myth upon the vast majority of Americans who aren't interested in superstitious nonsense

[SeattleGriz]

Leading the Republican Party into the 15th century…

While closely linked to Trump—an exultant Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) called him “MAGA Mike” following his election—Johnson represents something very different and, hard to believe though that may be, much more troubling.

Trump believes in nothing but Trump. The former president leads a faction in the GOP that is either essentially obstructionist—like Jim Jordan or Matt Gaetz—or cynically in search of power at any cost—like Kevin McCarthy or Elise Stefanik—or profoundly ignorant—like Marjorie Taylor Greene or Lauren Boebert or Paul Gosar or Anna Paulina Luna or…well, frankly, too many to list.

But Johnson, although he is seen as part of this group, represents something different. He deeply (and apparently, sincerely) believes in the dominionist idea that the laws of the nation should conform to Christian theology and be rooted in the ideas of the Bible.

As benign as that may sound to those who find solace or inspiration in their Christian beliefs, the desire to institutionalize those beliefs and to impose them upon even those who do not share them is pernicious. It is the way of the Taliban and the mullahs in Iran, of Israel’s hard right and theocratic dictators throughout time. It negates the idea that the citizens of a nation should be the final authority in determining the course and laws of a society. In the name of a “higher authority,” it strips away rights and puts at risk all those who disagree.

Men like Johnson and other members of that movement, a group that includes members of the U.S. Supreme Court and important leaders in the GOP like former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, represent one of the threats those who founded this country most feared. They were imperfect men. But they had learned the lessons of centuries of suffering and horror that were imposed upon the world by theocrats who claimed to be the representatives of the Almighty on earth.

Unfortunately for all of us, their wisdom and their warnings are seemingly being forgotten and all who hold beliefs inconsistent with those of a chosen evangelical Christian few are now increasingly at risk, as is the very idea of America as a free and democratic society.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/heres-why ... nald-trump

Oh my Lord. Can't believe I missed this thread. Klam showing his confirmation bias by quoting the...wait for it. Daily Beast.

Yes, it'll be handmaids take in no time. Probably crucify Dems that don't comply by next week.

You never cease to show how little you understand about Christianity.

Pure gold.

[kalm]

Leading the Republican Party into the 15th century…



https://www.thedailybeast.com/heres-why ... nald-trump

Oh my Lord. Can't believe I missed this thread. Klam showing his confirmation bias by quoting the...wait for it. Daily Beast.

Yes, it'll be handmaids take in no time. Probably crucify Dems that don't comply by next week.

You never cease to show how little you understand about Christianity.

Pure gold.

I can pull up other sources if you’d like. These type of stories are everywhere about Johnson. He’s third in line to the presidency. Trump called MAGA Mike. Definitely newsworthy.

Are you defending his form of Christianity? What do you like about it?

[SeattleGriz]

Oh my Lord. Can't believe I missed this thread. Klam showing his confirmation bias by quoting the...wait for it. Daily Beast.

Yes, it'll be handmaids take in no time. Probably crucify Dems that don't comply by next week.

You never cease to show how little you understand about Christianity.

Pure gold.

I can pull up other sources if you’d like. These type of stories are everywhere about Johnson. He’s third in line to the presidency. Trump called MAGA Mike. Definitely newsworthy.

Are you defending his form of Christianity? What do you like about it?

Oh, I bet you can. You can probably pull up all sorts of made up shit because those people haven't actually spoken to him.

Have you talked with him? What exactly is his "form" of Christianity.

Tell you what, when you and UNI get over your beliefs someone has to work their way to heaven, we can talk. Until then, how about looking up anything other than the Daily Beast. What a joke.

[UNI88]

I can pull up other sources if you’d like. These type of stories are everywhere about Johnson. He’s third in line to the presidency. Trump called MAGA Mike. Definitely newsworthy.

Are you defending his form of Christianity? What do you like about it?

Oh, I bet you can. You can probably pull up all sorts of made up shit because those people haven't actually spoken to him.

Have you talked with him? What exactly is his "form" of Christianity.

Tell you what, when you and UNI get over your beliefs someone has to work their way to heaven, we can talk. Until then, how about looking up anything other than the Daily Beast. What a joke.

Kalm and my beliefs are just as valid as your beliefs so stop being a self righteous, condescending twat.

[houndawg]

Put some of the blame on Democrats. They could've got some concessions from McCarthy in exchange for protecting him from being removed but chose not to do so and they chose not to because they believe this guy being speaker will help Biden the Somnolent in the election.

McCarthy burned too many bridges before becoming speaker, his word is garbage

[houndawg]

I can pull up other sources if you’d like. These type of stories are everywhere about Johnson. He’s third in line to the presidency. Trump called MAGA Mike. Definitely newsworthy.

Are you defending his form of Christianity? What do you like about it?

Oh, I bet you can. You can probably pull up all sorts of made up shit because those people haven't actually spoken to him.

Have you talked with him? What exactly is his "form" of Christianity.

Tell you what, when you and UNI get over your beliefs someone has to work their way to heaven, we can talk. Until then, how about looking up anything other than the Daily Beast. What a joke.

When the subject turns to superstious twaddle the real you comes out. SuperstitiousGriz.


..and on the third day he walked out of his grave and flew up into the sky...



God said to Abraham "kill me a son"
Abe said "God, you must be puttin me on"
God said "no"
Abe said "What?"
God said "you do what you want, Abe, but
next time you see me coming
you better run"
Abe said "where do you want this killing done?"
God said "out on highway 61"

Bob Dylan

[kalm]

I can pull up other sources if you’d like. These type of stories are everywhere about Johnson. He’s third in line to the presidency. Trump called MAGA Mike. Definitely newsworthy.

Are you defending his form of Christianity? What do you like about it?

Oh, I bet you can. You can probably pull up all sorts of made up shit because those people haven't actually spoken to him.

Have you talked with him? What exactly is his "form" of Christianity.

Tell you what, when you and UNI get over your beliefs someone has to work their way to heaven, we can talk. Until then, how about looking up anything other than the Daily Beast. What a joke.

He’s a religious charlatan. His quotes and video in his own words are everywhere. Curious that you didn’t know this since you must rely upon legitimate sources.

I’d suggest a new source for you. Compare it to Johnson’s desired form of government.

My recommendation…I can send you a prescription if you’d like

Spoiler: show

[SeattleGriz]

Oh, I bet you can. You can probably pull up all sorts of made up shit because those people haven't actually spoken to him.

Have you talked with him? What exactly is his "form" of Christianity.

Tell you what, when you and UNI get over your beliefs someone has to work their way to heaven, we can talk. Until then, how about looking up anything other than the Daily Beast. What a joke.

Kalm and my beliefs are just as valid as your beliefs so stop being a self righteous, condescending twat.

Your beliefs are fine. It's when you apply your beliefs incorrectly, then it's a problem.

That's Mr self righteous twat by the way.

[SeattleGriz]

Oh, I bet you can. You can probably pull up all sorts of made up shit because those people haven't actually spoken to him.

Have you talked with him? What exactly is his "form" of Christianity.

Tell you what, when you and UNI get over your beliefs someone has to work their way to heaven, we can talk. Until then, how about looking up anything other than the Daily Beast. What a joke.

He’s a religious charlatan. His quotes and video in his own words are everywhere. Curious that you didn’t know this since you must rely upon legitimate sources.

I’d suggest a new source for you. Compare it to Johnson’s desired form of government.

My recommendation…I can send you a prescription if you’d like

Spoiler: show

Have you read the entire Bible?

[houndawg]

He’s a religious charlatan. His quotes and video in his own words are everywhere. Curious that you didn’t know this since you must rely upon legitimate sources.

I’d suggest a new source for you. Compare it to Johnson’s desired form of government.

My recommendation…I can send you a prescription if you’d like

Spoiler: show

Have you read the entire Bible?

Which language did you read it in?

[SeattleGriz]

Have you read the entire Bible?

Which language did you read it in?

Hebrew for the Old Testament and Greek for the new. What language did you read it in?

[UNI88]

Kalm and my beliefs are just as valid as your beliefs so stop being a self righteous, condescending twat.

Your beliefs are fine. It's when you apply your beliefs incorrectly, then it's a problem.

That's Goodman self righteous twat by the way.

Goodman self righteous twat,

They're my beliefs, how do you know if I'm applying them incorrectly? Answer: you don't. You're judging me and my beliefs just like I judge people who identify as Christians.

[SeattleGriz]

Your beliefs are fine. It's when you apply your beliefs incorrectly, then it's a problem.

That's Goodman self righteous twat by the way.

Goodman self righteous twat,

They're my beliefs, how do you know if I'm applying them incorrectly? Answer: you don't. You're judging me and my beliefs just like I judge people who identify as Christians.

Because you keep believing Christians have to work their way to heaven. Incorrect. Your statements reveal what you believe.

[houndawg]

Which language did you read it in?

Hebrew for the Old Testament and Greek for the new. What language did you read it in?

Engrish

[UNI88]

Goodman self righteous twat,

They're my beliefs, how do you know if I'm applying them incorrectly? Answer: you don't. You're judging me and my beliefs just like I judge people who identify as Christians.

Because you keep believing Christians have to work their way to heaven. Incorrect. Your statements reveal what you believe.

That is an oversimplification of what I believe.

Regardless, I'm entitled to believe what I want just like people who don't follow Christian values are entitled to continue to believe that they're Christians. You telling me I'm wrong is no better than me saying they're not really Christians.

[SeattleGriz]

Because you keep believing Christians have to work their way to heaven. Incorrect. Your statements reveal what you believe.

That is an oversimplification of what I believe.

Regardless, I'm entitled to believe what I want just like people who don't follow Christian values are entitled to continue to believe that they're Christians. You telling me I'm wrong is no better than me saying they're not really Christians.

Have you accepted Christ and what do you believe in regards to salvation provided by Christ? Now is your chance to set the record straight.

[SeattleGriz]

Hebrew for the Old Testament and Greek for the new. What language did you read it in?

Engrish

Ha! The point I'm getting at, is that it's very informative, even if you read it as a story in Engrish. This is what Cleats always used to dance around. Said he read the whole thing one semester at Harvard, but was continually misrepresenting what was written. It was obvious he never read the Bible and only parroted what he had heard from others.

I realize you're not interested and can appreciate you don't wade into topics you don't care about.